Many Players On Tour Still Have A Dirty Secret

PGA TOUR caddie admits that many on the tour still smoke and they’re good at hiding their habit.

A recent interview with a PGA TOUR caddie suggests that quite a few players have a little secret. “I would say that at least 20% of the tour still smokes on the course. Not many of the big names do it anymore, they get too much pressure from their sponsors to quit. While 20% of the players may smoke, 75% of the caddies do. One thing that it actually does help with is getting the wind direction.”

Players are allowed to smoke on the course and the only thing the PGA ask is that they show discretion. It’s an interesting revelation to hear many of the players reportedly smoke and avoid the cameras at all costs. Here are some of the players who have been snapped- some of them appear to love the image that it brings to their golf.

5. Dustin Johnson

A man of vices, DJ enjoys a cigarette with fiancé Paulina Gretzky.

4. John Daly

No surprises here, the world number 981 was recently quoted saying he had cut back to ‘just’ two packs a day.

3. Angel Miguel Jimenez

The cheeky Spaniard seems permanently attached to a cuban and would sooner trade in a club before playing without a cigar on hand. He sums up his attitude better than I can, “why should I care if people see me smoking? I do what I do out in the open. If people have a problem with that they can stick their tongue up their ass and let the rest of us do what we want to do.”

2. Darren Clarke

Expect to see the 47-year-old puffing away during next year’s Ryder Cup. Cigars, cigarettes and even pipes, Darren will smoke anything with tobacco in it.

1. Jason Dufner

Smokeless tobacco allows a lot of pro golfers to have a habit without anyone taking much notice. Karen Course described in the New York Times how popular this discrete method actually was. “A photographer who is a regular on the Tour was shown a list of players in this week’s field. He started pointing to names and then gave up. “It’d be easier to say who doesn’t use it,” he said.